12 things to buy — and 4 to skip — during Prime Day next week

During Prime Big Deal Days — which is coming up next week on Oct. 8 and 9 — it’s easy to get swept up in the hype, says Mackenzie Shand, a shopping expert at RetailMeNot. The mega sale is the first major shopping event of the 2024 holiday season, offering Prime members exclusive access to thousands of discounts on tech, kitchen gadgets, household essentials and more. But the last thing you want to do is overspend and make impulse purchases.

In my five years covering Prime Day, I’ve learned that strategy is everything. Knowing what to shop — and what to skip — helps you create a wishlist and set a budget, which are key to shopping wisely. I talked to shopping experts about how to save the most money during Prime Big Deal Days this year and what to know about competitor sales, like Target Circle Week and Walmart’s Holiday Deals event. Experts also noted the differences between Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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Prime Big Deal Days is in October, usually when people start thinking about holiday shopping. Because of this, brands heavily discount giftable items during the event, like toys and gift cards, says Shand. “Unlike many popular gifts, such as clothing or home decor, toys have a tendency to sell out during the rush of the holiday shopping season,” she says. “If your little one has their eye on a specific toy, and you see it available at a discount on Prime Big Deal Days, I recommend purchasing it instead of waiting.” As for discounted gift cards, Shand says they’re basically like adding free money to your wallet. 

Expect to see an assortment of beauty products on sale, too, especially from luxury brands. Halloween is also around the corner, so if you’re in the market for decorations and costumes, look out for discounted prices.

As is typical for Prime Day, there will be “impressive markdowns” on Amazon-owned products this October, says Shand. Look for deals up to 50% off on Echo speakers, Ring doorbells, Blink smart home devices and Amazon Essentials apparel and household basics. Shand specifically recommends looking for discounted video doorbells if you’re worried about porch pirates this season. “Buying a smart doorbell now can help you monitor the many holiday packages that will be arriving at your doorstep in the coming months,” she says.

Finally, many small kitchen appliances tend to go on sale during Prime Day, but there will likely be even better Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts. That said, if you need something specific to help with Thanksgiving prep, buy it during Prime Big Deal Days, says Shand.

Lightning Deals are time-sensitive deals available in limited quantities. They periodically go live throughout Prime Day, but you never know exactly what will be on sale, so you can’t plan for them. Lightning Deals tend to be some of the most competitive discounts Amazon offers during the 48-hour event, so they’re important to keep an eye on.

Prime Big Deal Days is about a month before Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While it offers many comparable discounts, there are a few product categories experts recommend skipping until November.

• Non-Amazon-owned tech: TVs, phones, laptops, computer monitors, headphones and speakers are better to shop for during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, says Vipin Porwal, the CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty. There will be more variety at Amazon and other big retailers, as well as deeper overall discounts.
• Large kitchen appliances, cookware and dinnerware: Unless you need something before Thanksgiving, wait until Black Friday and Cyber Monday to shop for these products. That’s when you’ll see the most options for sale, says Porwal.
• Vacuums: They aren’t likely to sell out around the holidays, so if you can wait a few weeks to purchase them during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you should, says Shand.
• Clothing and footwear: Anything related to fashion typically doesn’t stand out in terms of the best savings during Prime Day, says Shand. “You’re better off waiting until pre-Black Friday sales when you can scope out other retailers’ sales and compare them to Amazon’s offerings,” she says.

Over the past few years, more brands and retailers have started offering early Black Friday discounts in mid-October. Doing so gives shoppers over a month to take advantage of discounts rather than a five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. Amazon strategically hosts Prime Big Deal Days in early October to essentially kick off early Black Friday shopping. And other retailers have followed suit — Target, Walmart, Best Buy and more now host their own October savings events around the dates of Prime Big Deal Days.

With that said, there are some advantages and disadvantages to shopping Prime Big Deal Days that experts say you should know about.

• Advantage: Only Prime members have access to Prime Big Deal Days, while everyone generally has access to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. To create an exclusive shopping experience for Prime members this October, some brands offer discounts that were not available during July’s Prime Day and won’t be available again during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, says Porwal. That means Prime Big Deal Days may be your only chance all year to save on specific products.
• Advantage: Because so many people shop at one time during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, popular products can sell out quickly, says Porwal. There’s less competition over products during Prime Big Deal Days since only Prime members have access to discounts. So if there’s something on your or a loved one’s wish list that you expect to sell out, buy it during Prime Day so you don’t risk missing out, says Shand.
• Disadvantage: A few retailers host their own October savings events around the time of Prime Day, but almost every brand and retailer you can think of hosts a Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday sale. That means shoppers have more product variety and more retailers to compare prices in November, says Porwal.

Planning is key to saving during Prime Day. It keeps you focused and ensures you take advantage of the best deals possible. Below are a few ways experts recommend prepping for Prime Big Deal Days.

Amazon offers numerous tools loyalty members can use to get alerted about deals throughout Prime Day. And often, getting alerts for products at the top of your wish list makes all the difference. “We’ve seen more recent Prime Days have better inventories, but many of the best-priced deals have limited supply available, so once it’s gone, it’s gone,” says Porwal.

With that in mind, use the following tools to get notifications about Prime Day discounts.

• Amazon lists: Add products you have your eye on to Amazon Lists in the retailer’s app or through its website. If items on your lists drop in price, Amazon sorts them into a deals tab, making discounts easy to find quickly.
• Deal alerts: Instead of adding specific products to Amazon Lists, you can opt to receive deals alerts based on your general searches or recently viewed items. Once Prime Day starts, you’ll get alerts about related deals. 
• Alexa deal alerts: Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, can notify you up to 24 hours in advance of a deal going live for items on your lists, in your shopping cart or that you saved for later. You can ask Alexa to remind you when the deal goes live and give her permission to order the item on your behalf using your account’s default payment method and delivery address.

Prime Big Deal Days and comparable savings events are geared toward impulse shopping. Retailers bet on shoppers feeling tempted by deals and adding more items to their carts than originally planned. That’s why making a shopping list is important: It keeps you organized and reduces the temptation to spend on non-essential purchases.

To create your shopping list, think about products you’ve been meaning to buy, restock or replace — these are your top priorities. Then, consider your wants, like a new pair of jeans or e-reader. If you find a great deal or spend less than you budgeted for, your wants can help guide the rest of your shopping.

Making shopping lists is also a time saving strategy, says Shand. Many of Amazon’s Prime Day deals are available for a few hours or sell out quickly, so you don’t want to waste time searching through pages of sales and reading reviews day-of. If you have a shopping list, you can quickly check if the products you want are on sale and checkout.

During Prime Day, pay attention to products featured on deal homepages, says Porwal. “Those sellers pay a premium to Amazon to feature their best products, often at their lowest prices ever,” he says. “These deals also tend to have time limits, so keep that top of mind.”

On the flip side, be wary of sellers you’ve never heard of. “A lot of Prime Day sale items are overstock inventory that merchants are trying to clear out while they have a massive audience,” says Porwal. “If it’s an item from an unverified seller or a brand you’re not familiar with, and it’s not something you really need, sometimes the savings aren’t worth the risk.” 

Other retailers host their own October savings events around Prime Big Deal Days, which makes comparing prices across sites important. As retailers compete for your shopping cart, they tend to “price chase” each other — this means an item sold at multiple retailers will likely have the exact (or almost exact) price tag across the board. In these cases, deciding which retailer to buy from comes down to comparing factors like shipping fees, rewards points, product rebates and cash-back offers, says Porwal. While it’s rare, some retailers may price-match Amazon deals, so inquire if you’re interested.

To help you comparison shop, we recommend using price trackers like Keepa, CamelCamelCamel and Honey. These track prices before and during sales, allowing you to sign up for price drop alerts on specific products.

Also keep in mind that during their October savings events, big retailers like Walmart and Target may discount products that Amazon doesn’t feature. For example, Target owns several brands like Brightroom, Casaluna and Heyday. Because of this, Porwal says it’s worth browsing competing sales to see if there’s a unique deal worth purchasing.

If you’re interested in using a credit card to shop on Prime Day, you may be able to earn points and cash back or take advantage of exclusive rewards. Certain cards also offer welcome bonuses — for example, Prime members can get a $150 Amazon gift card upon approval for a Prime Visa from Oct. 2 to 31 or a $80 Amazon gift card upon approval for a Prime Store Card from Oct. 3 to 9. Additionally, Prime card members can earn 10% back or more on select Prime Big Deal Days deals with Amazon’s Prime Card Bonus.

There’s usually no special return policy for products you purchase on Amazon Prime Day. However, it’s always a good idea to read through a seller’s return policy before checking out so you’re aware of how long you have to send something back, if needed.

At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Vipin Porwal is the CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty.
• Mackenzie Shand is a shopping expert at RetailMeNot.

I’m an associate updates editor at NBC Select, where I’ve covered Amazon Prime Day for five years. I’ve written numerous sales stories, as well as explainers about Prime Day’s history, Amazon return policies and Prime memberships. For this article, I interviewed two experts about what to shop and skip during Prime Big Deal Days, as well as how to save the most money during the event.